Stranger
by SilverflowerXRavenpaw
Summary: An apprentice goes out and meets a stranger. This is partially a journey and partially how he responds.


**So, this was supposed to be a challenge. I got a bit off-topic, but I hope you like it anyways. If it randomly disappears, it means it got rejected and I decided to restart entirely.**

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 **Nightpaw**

I was out of the territory, all be myself. That didn't happen often, mostly because it was strictly not allowed. However, just because I was out here didn't mean it was acceptable.

It was surprisingly easy to get past the guard at the camp entrance. I just followed a patrol out, and now here I was. I wasn't trying to be naughty or anything, I just wanted to see part of the territory I hadn't seen yet.

That part of the territory being the area near Twolegsplace. No one would bring me anywhere near it, and I wanted to see why. I knew that my mom would worry, since I was only any apprentice, but she could deal with it. After all, I was an apprentice. And it wasn't like I was going to start a huge fight. I was just going to see the lay of the land.

I slowly made my way cross the territory, trying to appreciate it's beauty. The flowers were in full bloom, and there was dew on the grass. I had come out of camp with the dawn patrol, so there was way more dew than I had expected. My fur was pretty soaked, but I didn't mind. I was on a journey.

My journey turned out to be a longer one than I expected. At first I didn't mind, still admiring how the sun reflected off the dew. I looked around at the colors of the forest and was amazed. But as my trek continued, the awe of it slowly wore off and turned to boredom. _What, am I in the middle of nowhere?_

It certainly felt like it. There didn't seem to be an end to the vast grassland ahead of me. I knew our territory was large, but this was ridiculous. I didn't think I would ever get done walking.

After a while, I turned my mind to eating. I wasn't allowed to eat on a hunting patrol, but this wasn't a hunting patrol. Newleaf was in full bloom, so there was plenty of prey. It was no difficult task to catch myself a squirrel and eat it.

A gust of wind blew, and a new scent caught my attention. It smelled like rot, smoke, and life. I didn't know how rot and life could mix, but they certainly did. It was an interesting medley.

I knew that the scent could only be one thing: the Twolegsplace. I broke into a trot, then a run. I wanted to reach there as soon as possible. I might even be able to get there before sunnhigh.

Once I started running, everything went a lot faster. The Twolegsplace quickly came into sight, and I made it there with a few long strides. I tried to take in all of the life and all of the smells, but it was too much. I stood still, stunned for a couple of seconds. There was so much.

I realized that I would have to concentrate on one thing at a time. While I was pondering what to focus on for now, the answer came to me. Literally. It landed on my back and pinned me down. "Watch out!"

"I was watching out. Otherwise I wouldn't have landed on you." The voice seemed to be a tom, and it was huge. It weighed a ton, and I knew trying to get up would be hopeless. I was going to speak when it continued. "How did you get here, anyways?"

It seemed honestly confused.. Did it not know that there was life in the forest? "I walked."

He pushed his claws into me. "Don't lie to me, little one. No one walks here."

I winced. His claws were sharp! "But I did. Really. I live in the grassland over-" I looked over my shoulder, but I couldn't see our territory anymore. _Did I already walk in that far?_

The cat seemed to pick up on my confusion, and he got off of me. "What grassland?"

"I knew there was a grassland," I explained, stunned. "I came from WindClan..."

He looked at me thoughtfully. "Did it take a long time to get here?"

I nodded.

He seemed to come to understanding. "It always does."

"What does THAT mean?!"

"Cats rarely come here. People in general rarely come here. But when a thing I can speak to comes here, it always gets confused. It thinks it came from a grassland."

"Can't I go back and prove it exists?" I asked in desperation.

He shook his head. "No one can leave. You can just try."

I nodded. "I will. Thanks for not killing me." And with that, I ran. I didn't know how long I ran, or how long I would run. But I have to keep trying.


End file.
